Who owns the flood plain? A parcel-level analysis of organizational form and flood risk

Bibliographic Data

ID21247396
AuthorsJesse Andrews (0000-0001-9685-0672, University of Nebraska–Lincoln), Jenny B Mason (0009-0000-5554-8717, Institute of Economic Development), E Yu (0000-0002-4900-4913, University of Nebraska–Lincoln), Zhenghong Tang (0000-0001-7603-0394, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, corresponding author)
Year2026
Publication date2026-01-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironment and Planning B Urban Analytics and City Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2399-8083 • E-ISSN: 2399-8091
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/23998083251414554
OpenAlexW7119498347
LanguageEN
References cited28

Regulatory flood maps define the geography of hazard but obscure the organizational structure of exposure. This study examines how regulatory flood exposure is distributed across owner-of-record forms and local portfolio footprints using the complete 2022 inventory of single-family residential parcels in Douglas County, Nebraska (N = 183,313). We classify owners into five organizational forms (including Individuals, LLCs, and Corporations) and distinguish between single-parcel and multi-parcel local portfolios. While only 1.10% of parcels fall within FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) in aggregate, prevalence varies sharply by ownership structure. Unadjusted SFHA rates are highest among single-parcel Limited Liability Companies (4.83%) and single-parcel corporations (4.07%), compared to 0.81% for single-parcel individuals. In modified Poisson models with neighborhood fixed effects, LLC-owned parcels retain elevated exposure relative to individuals (adjusted Risk Ratio for single-parcel LLCs = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.31–2.13). Multi-parcel individuals and trusts also exhibit elevated prevalence. These findings demonstrate that flood exposure is not just a spatial attribute but an organizational one, concentrated within specific legal structures. Consequently, effective flood governance requires implementation strategies capable of navigating diverse legal forms and portfolio scales for mitigation and compliance

Corporate governance · Flood mitigation · Flood myth · Flood risk management · Hazard · Portfolio · Agricultural risk and resilience · Disaster Management and Resilience · Flood Risk Assessment and Management

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